The Feral North

Motou found something peaceful in the wilderness, the places untouched by man and still primal. A contrast to the modern world he sometimes felt was leaving him behind. The nearest trail was about a mile and a half south of his current position, he was isolated. Alone and surrounded on all sides by untouched nature, a testament to mankind's inability to completely dominate the world.

He sat cross legged, the moon high above him, not full, only a gibbous, and wore nothing but a simple pair of jeans. Denim was an irritating material, tough and unyielding, the pair he wore was worn enough to have more give than most jeans, but still retained their durability. Bare chested and bare footed, he sat, eyes closed, meditating.

The rock upon which he sat was cool to the touch, the hours since day had passed had alowed the heat to escape its surface and his own undead body offered it none. The roar of the nearby waterfall echoed through the small canyon below him, covering the river with mists and vapor. Night birds sang their songs or hooted as they hunted.

Power raised about Motou as he found focus, testing control, both of himself and his newfound gifts. He was a master vampire now, and would master his newfound power just as surely as he had mastered his body and continued to master his mind. The noises of nocturnal life suddenly ceased as his power reached out, like a cold wave brushing along the trees and grass. Only the sound of the waterfall remained, a constant companion in his thoughts and mind.

Zoe had been sleeping in the park at night, sort of like a hobo, to avoid any more nights of sleeping in her car. Though she loved her car dearly, there were only so many nights of contorted rest that she could manage in a row before loosing the ability to be comfortable all together. So she had been wandering far from the paths in the park and laying in the trees at night. At least in here it was quiet and restful. And she didn't wake up to curious stares in her windows from strangers. That was an awkward situation that Zoe was more than happy to be avioding.

But of course, all good things must come to an end, and Zoe found herself unable to sleep. There was someone else out here. She could feel it, and smell it as she wandered about, looking for the source. Whoever it was, they were not being noisy, but the energy she felt from the stranger made it very difficult to sleep. She padded through the trees to the sound of a waterfall off to the side somewhere, and felt the energy grow stronger around her.

Zoe's eyes searched for the one making her skin crawl with power. There was no other noise but the waterfall, but Zoe could tell that the things she sensed weren't coming from there. She looked around slowly and finally spotted it. Him. A 'he' was the source of the energy that was keeping her awake. Zoe stomped noisily over the ground to the man, crossing her arms when she got withing hearing distance so she wouldn't have to shout. "What the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

There was a presence, like a warm, sun baked pebble tossed into the cold stream of power he was releasing. Whoever it was, they didn't bother to hide their approach. Something about their power called to him, intrigued him. A lycanthrope of some kind, but he couldn't tell which. What ever they were, he knew he'd discovered the species of his animal to call. He had to know what this interloper was.

The voice that spoke was female and laced with irritation. Motou may as well not have heard or noticed her for all the reaction he gave, his eyes remaining closed, his face impassive and devoid of emotion. A full moment of silence filled only by the roaring of the waterfall passed before he answered in a calm, almost detached, British accented voice, “One may very well ask the same of you. Tell me what you are doing here and I shall answer you in turn.”

Motous power swelled around them, not crashing into her, but testing her boundaries and limits, trying to discern the degree of her own power. He wasn't yet sure how to raise his power correctly as a master should to control those beasts that were his, but he was learning. It was much like taking the training wheels from a bike and learning to ride without a steady hand there to guide you. The power of control would rise, then crash. Erratic, but more and more level each time. He had no intention of binding this woman to him, or even truly exercising his degree of control over her. His designs were rather to master himself, to learn how to ride this new power and not leave himself untested for a trial by fire later.

((sorry for the late reply, I have been dealing with RL stuff and been really busy the last few days))

The light from the moon weighed on Zoe's shoulders like a comfortable jacket as she stood in the middle of the trees, looking up at the man who had decided it was okay to leak energy all over and wake her up. Her mood was irritable to say the least. Though that was really nothing new. And he seemed at first to be ignoring her. Which pissed her off even more. She was about to open her mouth again when he spoke.

"I WAS sleeping. Until I felt you leaking all over me. Then I came out here to figure out what you were doing. Which makes it your turn to answer." The hair on Zoe's neck stood up when she felt another brush of his power against her. The beast inside of her was attracted to the power, and tried to coil around it. Zoe scoffed, feeling her skin crawl as her beast purred, rubbing against the power. Zoe stared up, arms still crossed, waiting for his answer so she could go back to sleep.